Recent Trends in Philanthropic Giving: An Annual Report on Key Metrics in the United States and Canada

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The close of an organization’s fiscal year is an ideal moment to take a hard, data‑driven look at fundraising performance. Even when economic or social turbulence clouds the horizon, arts and culture institutions benefit from grounding their plans in rigorous research on the broader philanthropic climate—locally, nationally, and globally. This edition of Arts Insights distills the headline findings from Giving USA 2025: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2024 and other leading sources, offering benchmarks that illuminate how giving to arts and culture compares with overall nonprofit trends.

Overall Charitable Giving

Giving USA 2025, the definitive annual study produced by the Giving USA Foundation and researched by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, estimates that Americans donated approximately $592.5 billion to charitable causes in 2024. This figure marks a 6.3% increase in current dollars, or 3.3% after adjusting for inflation, establishing a new high‑water mark for total giving. Strengthened by a robust stock market and steady gross domestic product (GDP) growth, both individual and corporate donors expanded their contributions, reaffirming their pivotal role in the nonprofit ecosystem.

All recipient subsectors experienced nominal growth. When inflation is considered, seven of the nine categories still registered real gains, while giving to foundations held essentially flat, and giving to religious organizations slipped slightly. Crucially, 2024 represents the first year since 2021 in which total giving grew faster than inflation—a signal that donor confidence is rebounding after a period of economic headwinds.

Growth in 2024 parallels the 40-year average (5.5% in current dollars, 2.7% in real terms), underscoring the resilience of American philanthropy. As Wendy McGrady, Chair of the Giving USA Foundation, notes, “Total giving in 2024 reached record levels in current dollars and grew at a rate consistent with long‑term trends clear evidence of Americans’ enduring generosity and the value they place on nonprofit work.” Amir Pasic, Dean of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, echoes this point, emphasizing that “the role of the individual donor cannot be overstated” in sustaining the sector’s momentum.

For arts and culture organizations, these findings reinforce the importance of cultivating strong relationships with individual supporters, diversifying revenue streams, and maintaining data‑informed strategies that can withstand inflationary pressures. With charitable giving once again outpacing inflation and aligning with historic growth patterns, the sector has solid ground on which to build ambitious yet realistic development goals in the year ahead.

For the full article from Arts Consulting Group, click here.